Jump to Recipe
This James Hoffmann AeroPress recipe is definitely one to save.
I use my AeroPress all the time and I’m always looking for the best recipes to try.
James Hoffmann came up with a simple, repeatable, and quick recipe that’s super tasty.
In this article, I’ll break down the AeroPress and give you a step-by-step guide on how to brew like James Hoffmann.
Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
AeroPress Coffee: What You Should Know
If you told me I could only have one coffee brewer for the rest of my life, I would probably choose AeroPress.
For me, it’s the most versatile and usable brewer ever made. And it’s wildly popular.
I mean, there’s even an annual World AeroPress Championship. (The winner gets a golden AeroPress.)
Do you know what’s crazy about that? The AeroPress has only been around since 2005, making a baby in the coffee world.
But it’s more than a cult brewer, it’s actually a really solid option for a daily coffee.
It can make brewed coffee, iced coffee, Americano-style coffee, and even an espresso-style brew you can use for lattes.
The versatility is awesome, but that doesn’t entirely explain why the AeroPress is such a success.
Another piece is that the AeroPress is easy to use and very forgivable. You don’t need a fancy kettle, you don’t have to pour in a specific way or deal with expensive pour-over brewers.
AeroPress is designed for home use.
And yes, it is technically an immersion brewer like a French press. But it uses paper filters instead of metal ones. That means you usually get a cleaner and less muddled cup.
James Hoffmann’s Aeropress recipe
There are two things you need to understand before we dive headlong into James Hoffmann’s AeroPress recipe:
- James knows what he’s walking about. He won the World Barista Championship in 2007. He wrote The World Atlas of Coffee and has a successful YouTube channel. This is a good recipe from a reputable source.
- There are many, many ways to brew in an AeroPress. This isn’t supposed to be the ultimate aeropress technique you should try. Instead, it’s meant as a guide for you to build your own AeroPress recipe. Take what you want from this recipe and add them to how you already brew.
Okay, let’s get into the actual recipe.
What You Need To Get Started
Here’s everything you should have on-hand to brew:
- Coffee. Any coffee works in an AeroPress, so whatever you enjoy at the moment is a great choice.
- AeroPress. Obviously. These are cheap and easy to acquire.
- Digital Scale. This isn’t exactly necessary, but it helps to keep your brews consistent.
- Hot Water. Notice I didn’t say kettle. That’s because however you heat water is good enough for this recipe. Kettle, pot, gooseneck kettle: it doesn’t matter.
- Filter. Filters in the box with the AeroPress.
How Much Coffee And Water To Use
As with most coffee brewing recipes, there are only two ingredients:
- 11 grams of coffee. It should be on the finer side. Just a touch coarser than espresso. That said, there’s no one answer for grind size, and that’s one of the variables to change later.
- 200 grams of water. Generally speaking, for a lighter roast coffee bean – the hotter, the better. In fact, you can pour right off boil for the light roasted coffee. For medium or dark roast beans, a little cooler than boiling works better.
This gives us about an 18:1 water to coffee ratio. This is a good place to start for making a slightly bigger or smaller cup of coffee.
The Step-By-Step Guide
Now, let’s get into the actual brew:
- Disassemble your AeroPress. Take the plunger out and remove the filter basket.
- Place a filter in the basket and put it back in the brewer. You don’t actually need to rinse the filter, but you can if you want to.
- Place the brewer onto a mug or carafe. Or whatever you’re brewing into. This could be a carafe or a mug. I use an old jam jar because I like the size and shape. You can even brew straight into a travel mug or thermos.
- Put coffee into the brewer and place it on the scale. Don’t forget to zero your scales before starting a timer and adding water!
- Add 200 grams of hot water. Unlike other home brewers, you add all the water at once in this recipe. Just aim to get all of the coffee wet in this step. It doesn’t matter too much how fast or slow you pour, just get all of the water into the brewer.
- Start a timer and place the plunger into the brewer. You start the timer after all the water is in the brewer. Don’t forget to add the plunger in this step.
- After 2 minutes, hold the brewer and plunger and swirl gently. You don’t want a vortex in the brewer. You’re aiming to get the crust of coffee grounds to drop to the bottom.
- Wait 30 seconds. After swirling, wait another 30 seconds for everything to settle.
- Press gently all the way. You can pause when you hit resistance. Then continue until you have pressed every drop from the brewer.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Box
James Hoffmann’s AeroPress
Ever wonder how James Hoffmann makes his AeroPress? Here’s his recipe!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 minute min
Cook Time 3 minutes mins
Total Time 4 minutes mins
Course Drinks
Servings 1
Equipment
AeroPress
Coffee
Digital Scale
Timer
Kettle
Filter
Ingredients
- 11 grams of coffee (ground fine to medium-fine)
- 200 grams of water (just off the boil)
Instructions
Disassemble your AeroPress.
Place a filter in the basket and put it back in the brewer.
Place the brewer onto a mug or carafe.
Put coffee into the brewer and place it on the scale.
Add 200 grams of hot water.
Start a timer and place the plunger into the brewer.
After 2 minutes, hold the brewer and plunger and swirl gently.
Wait 30 seconds.
Press gently all the way.
Enjoy!
(Video) AeroPress Recipe | James Hoffmann Milk Coffee Recipe
Notes
Make sure that cook time is less than 3 min (acc 2.5 min).
FAQ
If you haven’t encountered Aeropress before, you might have some burning questions about what it is and how it works.
I pulled out a few common questions and answered them in this section.
How is AeroPress different from a French press?
While both Aeropress and French press are immersion brewers, they are a little different.
Aeropress usually uses paper filters, while French presses use metal filters.
The other big difference is that Aeropress can only make about 8oz of coffee at a time.
French presses make anywhere from 8oz up to a liter.
There are also many more ways to brew in an Aeropress than in a French press coffee maker.
Which is better, V60 or AeroPress?
This is all personal preference.
In my opinion, Aeropress is much more beginner-friendly and versatile. You can, after all,
make an Aeropress in so many different ways.
However, V60 has a higher ceiling for how a cup of coffee tastes. As in, I believe you can
make a tastier cup of coffee in the V60 than in the Aeropress.
Each has its own merits, and each can produce a great coffee.
Why is my AeroPress coffee weak?
There are a number of reasons your Aeropress coffee might be weak. But the most common are:
• Not enough grounds
• Too short a brewing time
• Not letting your coffee bloom
• Too coarse a grind size
Following the above recipe should help you make a more consistent Aeropress!
Conclusion
Look, AeroPress is maybe the most versatile and user-friendly home brewer on the market.
But part of that is because there are so many ways to brew with it.
This isn’t meant to be the best recipe out there. It’s just meant to be another recipe you should try.
Take some of this recipe and add them to your own!
Want to try more James Hoffmann coffee recipes? Check out his V60 brewing guide.
How useful was this post?
Click on a star to rate it!
As you found this post useful...
Follow us on social media!
We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!
Let us improve this post!
Tell us how we can improve this post?
FAQs
What is the ratio for AeroPress recipe? ›
Coffee-To-Water Ratio
The standard ratio for most methods is around 1:16 (1 gram of coffee for every 16 grams of water), but when it comes to AeroPress, folks like it stronger – the original AeroPress recipe recommends 1:6!
As a starting point, we recommend one heaping scoop of fine drip grind coffee, or 14 grams of coffee per cup. Both the AeroPress Original and AeroPress Go scoops have the same capacity. A level scoop holds 11.5 grams of coffee or about 2.5 tablespoons.
How do you make the best coffee with an AeroPress? ›- Prepare your water and coffee. Bring 7 oz (200 g) of water to a boil. ...
- Assemble your AeroPress. ...
- Place it on your scale with the flared end up, then tare the weight. ...
- Add your ground coffee. ...
- Saturate your coffee grounds. ...
- Fill the chamber and stir. ...
- Fasten the cap and flip. ...
- Apply pressure.
For the best AeroPress coffee grind size, we recommend a consistency similar to table salt. On a coffee grinding chart, this is considered medium-fine. Each particle will be about 0.5 mm in diameter and falls between the fine espresso grind and the slightly coarser grind used in cafetière coffee.
What is the golden ratio for AeroPress? ›Ahh, but what is the best AeroPress coffee to water ratio? For truly top coffee, we recommend a golden ratio of 1:16. This means that you need 16ml of water for each gram of coffee. Your AeroPress takes 240ml of water, which means you want to use 15g of medium-fine ground coffee for one lovely cup (240÷16=15).
Why are there 4 numbers on AeroPress? ›The numbers on the side of the Aeropress match up to the number of scoops of coffee and water you will use, each scoop making one cup. You can use your Aeropress as a guide to measure out the water before heating in a kettle.
How to make 2 cups of AeroPress coffee? ›- Step 1: Put your Kettle on to boil with a bit more than 500ml water (aiming for ~93C) ...
- Step 2: Weigh 36g of coffee & grind to a medium setting. ...
- Step 3: Set up your inverted Aeropress and put the coffee into the chamber.
The AeroPress Go can brew 8 oz at a time, although you'll need to brew a concentrate and subsequently add hot water. It weighs 11.5 oz, not including the extra 350 filters.
Is AeroPress a pour over? ›AeroPress is a single-serve brewing method, typically creating a single cup of 200g coffee. A pour over brewer can be used to pour multiple cups of coffee at once. A pour over device can make delicious coffee for up to 10 people, though most pour over brewers only accommodate 2-6 people.
Why doesn't my Aeropress coffee taste good? ›If your coffee tastes bitter you're probably extracting too much flavour ('over extracting'). Try grinding your coffee a bit coarser or, if that isn't an element you can control, start plunging your Aeropress earlier (leaving the grounds in immersion for a shorter time).
What blend is best for AeroPress? ›
For the best brewing experience: Use a medium-fine grind size, shake to level the bed of coffee grounds before pouring in the water, and pour the water slowly. The best grind size to use with an AeroPress Original coffee maker or an AeroPress Go travel coffee maker is between drip grind and espresso grind.
What coffee beans are best for AeroPress? ›Light Roast
Light Roasts are often dubbed as the best roast type for Aeropress brewing. This is because Aeropress is the perfect choice to capture light roasts' complex and acidic characteristics and fruity flavours.
As a starting point, we recommend one heaping scoop of medium-fine grind coffee, or 14 grams of coffee per cup. Both the AeroPress Original and AeroPress Go scoops have the same capacity. A level scoop holds 11.5 grams of coffee or about 2.5 tablespoons.
What is the best steep time for AeroPress? ›Pour in hot water until the chamber is almost full, then stir using the paddle or a spoon. Leave the coffee to steep for between 30 seconds and 1 minute, depending on how weak or strong you like your coffee.
What is the difference between light and medium roast for AeroPress? ›Because it has been roasted for longer, the medium roast will have less caffeine content than a light roast, but far more than a dark roast. Medium roast coffee offers more aroma than light roast, with a fuller flavour and a more balanced acidity.
How many filters should I use for AeroPress? ›#4: USE TWO FILTERS
Brewing with a single AeroPress filter isn't really an error per se – after all, it's what all the world champions do. Still, I have to say that I often get better results using two filters instead of a single one.
Dilute. Aeropress often makes a very concentrated brew that's stronger than many people prefer. You can add more hot water get your cup to a taste & consistency you prefer. We recommend adding water in small increments and tasting as you go to avoid a watery coffee.
What ratio is dark AeroPress? ›I would use a heavier coffee-to-water brew ratio, and extract less than you normally would. Something like 1-parts coffee to 16-parts water (1:16). If you struggle to find any sort of sweetness from your coffee - then it may simply be too dark and burnt, to which there are no sugars left to develop.
Why is AeroPress upside down? ›While the AeroPress comes with standard brewing instructions to follow, many AeroPress brewers choose to use an “inverted” method which involves starting with the brewer upside down. This allows brewers to immerse the coffee grounds in water for a longer time and increases extraction as a result.
What is the funnel for in AeroPress? ›Funnel for the AeroPress coffee makers. For a tidier brewing experience, use the AeroPress funnel to transfer the ground coffee from your coffee grinder bin to the chamber!
What makes an AeroPress better than a French press? ›
This is a much quicker brew time than a French press (4+ minutes steep time). AeroPress coffee makers allow us to get the best flavors out in an efficient manner without losing heat or over-brewing the coffee. The original AeroPress instructions use less water to brew the concentrate, which is then diluted to strength.
How do you make 3 cups of coffee in an AeroPress? ›Yes, you can make up to three 8 oz. cups of American style coffee at a time by brewing "espresso style". Start by putting three rounded scoops of fine drip grind coffee in the AeroPress chamber, shake to level the bed of grounds, then fill up to the (3) on the chamber with hot water and stir for 10 seconds.
Is there anything better than AeroPress? ›More coffee flavor: The OXO Cold Brew Maker is perfect for those who love to drink their caffeine on ice. It helps add coffee flavor by allowing the coffee to bloom and aerate for over a minute while brewing, making it an excellent AeroPress replacement contender.
Can I use AeroPress twice? ›Reusing Coffee Grounds in Aeropress or French Press
It is possible to reuse your coffee grounds in a French Press or Aeropress. Always keep in mind that no matter what method you are using, your coffee will not taste the same as the first cup that you made.
Ok, I found a nice recipe for the Aeropress: 30g coffee, 120g water poured during brewing, 185F/85C, setting 2.2 on the ode grinder, dilute to 12 ounces.
Is there a fake AeroPress? ›Older versions were brown and clear however the AeroPress trademark would always be on the chambers. Counterfeits done not have the AeroPress on the chambers.
Why is AeroPress coffee less acidic? ›Less time in the water translates to less bitterness and acidity, so shorter brewing times in the AeroPress result in smooth coffee that's free from the unwanted acidity.
What is the downside of AeroPress? ›AeroPress coffee isn't very good at retaining heat. It can get cold faster than you might expect. This can be a downside for those who prefer their coffee piping hot. I recommend warming your cup well with hot water just before you brew into it.
When should I stop pushing AeroPress? ›Stop Plunging Before The “Hiss”
The “hiss” at the end of the plunge indicates when you should stop plunging immediately. This hissing occurs when the Aeropress plunger presses directly on the coffee grounds. When this happens, you're essentially squeezing all the “extra” stuff out of the coffee grounds.
It makes clean, flavorful coffee
Sometimes pour overs tend to be too clean, but Aeropress brings out more body while it keeps the cup from being over-the-top muddy.” “Makes a nice strong cup with more flavor clarity than a French Press.”
How do you bloom coffee in an AeroPress? ›
Tare/Zero your scale after you've placed your mug and Aeropress on it. Start your timer, and add 35g of your water just off boil, and then wait about 30 seconds. After 30 seconds has passed, stir the grounds for about 10 seconds to make sure they have all been saturated. This stage is called the bloom.
Should you preheat AeroPress? ›Ideally you want to brew with water between 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 1 minute off boil. You will use 250 grams of water to brew your coffee. The remainder will be for preheating your AeroPress, filter, and decanter. Once your water has heated, preheat the AeroPress, filter and your decanter.
Should you use espresso beans in AeroPress? ›Espresso style coffee will not work with an Aeropress, as it has been roasted too dark and will be overwhelmingly bitter. You want to go for beans that have been light roasted for filter coffee, always aim for speciality beans if you can.
Why is AeroPress coffee so smooth? ›The pressure produced when pushing the plunger through the chamber further extracts delicious flavors. Your coffee will also be free of grit as it passes through a paper micro-filter. Using your AeroPress coffee maker is simple, but there's a few key things to remember when you start brewing.
Can I use espresso blend for AeroPress? ›3: Espresso blend
If you are sure you want to go all the way to the strong, bold coffee, an espresso blend is entirely appropriate for an Aeropress.
It is made of safe materials
The Aeropress coffee maker is made of 100% BPA-free plastic. The plastic makes it extremely durable, and the user can rest assured that the materials used are all without harmful chemicals.
How long your coffee is submerged in hot water will affect the flavor. Extraction too short, and your coffee will taste sour and weak. Too long, and your coffee will taste bitter and murky.
Is light medium or dark roast better for AeroPress? ›Light and medium roast still work well with the AeroPress, but dark roast works a little better. With light and medium roast coffee beans, you still get undertones and flavors, but they are not as bold as the flavors found in a dark roast.
What temperature is best for dark roast AeroPress? ›A great starting point is to brew with 175°F (80°C) water for dark roasts and 185°F (85°C) for medium and light roasts.
Is medium roast stronger than espresso? ›The medium roast won't taste as strong or reach as the dark or espresso roast, but you can still grind it up super fine to get the right consistency for the espresso brewing method. While it's possible, it's not ideal.
How to make 2 cups of Aeropress coffee? ›
- Step 1: Put your Kettle on to boil with a bit more than 500ml water (aiming for ~93C) ...
- Step 2: Weigh 36g of coffee & grind to a medium setting. ...
- Step 3: Set up your inverted Aeropress and put the coffee into the chamber.
The Challenge, The Approach. Here's the issue: the Aeropress can only hold ~250ml of water at a time (roughly 8oz). In order to brew two cups of coffee, you have to be able to brew ~430ml in one session.
What is the ratio of coffee inverted AeroPress? ›We recommend a water to coffee ratio of 15:1. This means 15 grams of water for every gram of coffee. Since the Aeropress doesn't yield a large amount of liquid (275g) this will brew a nice rich cup of coffee. Learn more about coffee to water ratios.
How do you make 3 cups of coffee with an AeroPress? ›Yes, you can make up to three 8 oz. cups of American style coffee at a time by brewing "espresso style". Start by putting three rounded scoops of fine drip grind coffee in the AeroPress chamber, shake to level the bed of grounds, then fill up to the (3) on the chamber with hot water and stir for 10 seconds.
Can you use two filters in an AeroPress? ›#4: USE TWO FILTERS
Brewing with a single AeroPress filter isn't really an error per se – after all, it's what all the world champions do. Still, I have to say that I often get better results using two filters instead of a single one.
We recommend you don't skip this one! Rinsing your paper filter helps reduces the papery or woody flavor taste. The best way to get it wet is to put the dry filter into the AeroPress' black filter basket and place it over a cup, which also pre-heats your cup—win, win!
Does AeroPress wear out? ›After making hundreds of coffees in the AeroPress, the rubber plunger end can sometimes dry out a bit, or become compressed or worn. This can allow some air leakage and a not-so-airtight seal. You can just pry off the old plunger end and pop a new one on instead of throwing away your entire AeroPress!
What temperature should an inverted AeroPress be? ›Most of the recipes say to use 200-205 F. Aerobie recommends using 175 F. From the Aeropress FAQ: Books often recommend a brewing temperature of 195° F to 200° F (91° C to 93° C).
Can an AeroPress Go bad? ›AeroPress Seal
Care: The seal does wear down over time. To maximize seal life, always eject the used coffee right after brewing and store your AeroPress coffee maker with the seal pushed all the way through the chamber. This keeps the seal free of compression for longer seal life.
Funnel for the AeroPress coffee makers. For a tidier brewing experience, use the AeroPress funnel to transfer the ground coffee from your coffee grinder bin to the chamber!